by Robert Wilkinson
Pluto represents the Divine Power of ultimate regeneration, and is the Lord of the Underworld we all must pass through at least once in our life if we are to be a purified vessel and become authentic to our core. Through Pluto we know who we really are. Right now it’s stationary retrograde at 1 Aquarius. We have major global shifts ahead at the threshold of global change!
Pluto’s exact retrograde station occurs at 10:09 am PDT, 6:09 pm BST on May 1. Though it's a week out, it's already manifesting stationary energies! As is the case with all the outer planets when they turn stationary direct or retrograde, it marks a major “sea change” in those invisible Spiritual transpersonal energies. We are already having a new experience of Pluto in Aquarius, with another review of the last three degrees of Capricorn from mid-June 2023 through mid-January 2024, when it again enters Aquarius.
Since early January, Pluto moved from 28 Capricorn to 1 Aquarius. It will retrograde back over that span between now and early October, when it goes stationary direct at 28 Capricorn. After that it will be in its “shadow zone” through late February 2024, when it will again enter an unknown zone humanity has not experienced since 1777-1779. It would seem that revolutionary times are upon us over the next 4 years!
Pluto in the Power Zones
Between 2016-2018, Pluto transited the 5 degree “face” between 16-20 Capricorn where personal power gets translated into group energy through activities. In 2018-2019 Pluto transited the “face” between 21-25 Capricorn, where that power gets applied on the emotional or social level. Between 2021 and 2024, Pluto is transiting the face between 26-30 Capricorn, where that emotional or social power gets expressed in individual ways on the mental and spiritual levels of life. Pluto is done planting seeds in the first two zones, and has been planting seeds in the third zone.
These zones were incredibly important in 2019-2020. Saturn occupied 21-25 Capricorn in Apr-May 2019 and Dec 2019-Jan 2020, after which it occupied 26-30 Capricorn in Feb-Mar 2020 and again from July through December 2020. During these times, Saturn gave structure and solidity to the Plutonic seeds already planted in those zones. Many long term seeds were “made real” when Saturn conjuncted Pluto at 23 Capricorn in January 2020, setting a 33 year cycle into motion.
Those “structured seeds” or “disciplined transformational pressures” were then sprouted and expanded by Jupiter’s transit of 21-25 Capricorn in March-April and 26-28 Capricorn between April and June 2020. We experienced another pass at the social-cultural Capricorn seeds when Jupiter retrograded through 21-25 Cap in June and July 2020, and it began a permanent expansion of the transformational action seeds of 16-20 Cap between August and October 2020, the transformational social/emotional seeds of 21-25 Cap in Oct-Nov, and the transformational individual spiritual seeds of 26-30 Cap in November-December 2020.
Pluto is now in the first degree of Aquarius in the Aquarius decan, favoring vision, cooperation, and making a greater contribution to a greater good. When it retrogrades back to the last 3 degrees of Capricorn, as the Virgo decan of that sign if favors efficiency, adaptability, and discernment as to how and where things fit into a sequence of tasks or a larger picture. We are now in the final transformation period of our late Capricorn sector even as we are experiencing Pluto’s initial entry into Aquarius! Pluto at 1 Aquarius is sprouting all kinds of transformational energies related to the Grand Mutation of December 2020 at that same degree!
The Sabian Symbol for Pluto’s Station
This degree represents a “threshold state,” showing us the limit of our future as we now review the past. Pluto is stationary retrograde at 1 Aquarius.
The symbol for the 1st degree of Aquarius is "An old adobe mission.” In the original Jones notes published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this symbolizes “Mastery of man over environment while becoming an integral part of it,” “Recognition of established values,” and “Impressiveness.”
We are told in the Astrological Mandala that this symbolizes “The power inherent in all great human works to endure far beyond the workers’ life spans.” He goes on to state this is about the Aquarian quality of “a more spiritualized and idealistic or creative picture of the social forces at work,” stressing “the enduring character of human achievements ensouled by a great vision.”
He then continues that this is about “the projection of a noble ideal into concrete forms of beauty and significance,” offering others the chance to reach a higher level of activity. He states this symbol “speaks to us of the concretization of an ideal… (implying) the immortalization of an individual within a great collective and cultural enterprise.” This symbol is said to be in the Span of Defensiveness, Act of Capitalization, and is the initial degree of the Actional level of the Scene of Contribution.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this degree is one of “everlasting sustainment” and the need to be oriented and stable as we move through life. He says it’s about “enduring ties which (we) must neither neglect nor underrate,” which calls us to remember who we really are at core.
He concludes that this is an “emphasis on unbroken continuity between the psychological and physical certainties of (our) being, and a reminder of their continuing value…” He offers us the keyword DURABILITY. He states that when this degree works positively, it is one of “effective breadth of vision and a respect-compelling depth of character.”
So in the coming months, Pluto is offering us “seed forms” of opportunities to transform our lives by opening to a greater vision of how we can contribute to the future of humanity in our unique way by joining with others in some effort. This should create or bring back timeless ties with others who share our vision of a better life and world, however we see that.
With Pluto making this a hot spot, we must find the spiritual will and inner integrity which helps us honor the core principles we share with others across space and time. For the next few months, one of three things is happening; a) we’re looking back at the group work which has been developing since December 2020; b) we’re looking with new eyes at a final period of reorganizing our energies to contribute to group work in the future, or c) we can see how forces beyond our control are leading us to a greater contribution to our world than we ever knew before.
As I offered back at the Grand Mutation in December 2020, I believe those who embrace a greater cooperative vision with innovative disciplines of activity will find themselves in the groove with the Higher Law of the moment, in tune with spiritual Brothers and Sisters, building toward a greater idea. This is a degree of building “spiritually iconic structures,” material and ideological, which will serve future humanity. See what’s opening on the actional, material level in your life, accept your power to make a constructive difference by playing the part you’re meant to play for the fulfillment of the whole effort, and enjoy focusing your understanding, backed by courage, to find the life renewal promised over the next 20 years.
When Jupiter conjuncts Saturn, it expands that particular "Dharmic" Saturn influence for a generation. As we learn to use our Saturn to its best expression, we can master the changes and open to a more focused, freer purpose driven life. You can find out more about how to throw off chains of mental pessimism and fear in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. It will prove to be a valuable reference in being your highest Self in the coming era of tremendous changes for humanity and our world!
Here’s the link to a good talk I gave on the subject in June 2019 The Grand Mutation of 2020 – Two Centuries of Radical Change
Other Factors
Pluto, the Cosmic Purifier, will be dancing between late Capricorn and early Aquarius this year and next. When it’s in Capricorn, it will finish our lessons about practical, organized economy of energy and efficiency related to seed forms of new "laws of our lives" we’ve learned to accept while Pluto was in Capricorn.
A Look Back
Pluto planted many seeds during the time it’s been in each segment of Capricorn, and as noted, these sprouted and took shape in 2018-2020 as first Saturn and then Jupiter transited those Plutonic spans. These evolved into new processes and forms during Mars’ transit of Capricorn in early 2020 when it activated the first Jupiter conjunction with Pluto, and recently found newer forms of expression between late January and early March 2022 when it again triggered the numerous conjunction points of 2020.
During the 2019-2020 transits of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in late Capricorn we learned how to utilize those energies in organized ways. We still are! Of course, the three Jupiter conjunctions with Pluto (two at 25 Capricorn, one at 23 Capricorn) will be activated for many years to come, so there’s a lot to be learned about refining our senses, and becoming “psychologically enriched” by enjoying our play as we find a “transcendent security.
This is another extraordinarily dynamic Pluto retrograde period, given the aspects in play as this RX period begins. Dominating the front end of this retrograde station is the seriously serendipitous Uranus tredecile Pluto! Add Venus biquintile Pluto, and the Sun and Mercury both biseptile Pluto, this portends the emergence of seeds of very favorable changes. This Pluto retrograde will be one where we can “get to the heart of the matter,” and see the “building of the Wisdom” developments in play since 2020.
Because of what’s been going on the past 7 years, it seems that the time when Pluto goes stationary retrograde and begins its review each year, humanity stands at critical forks in the road of its collective destiny. From here, we review the seeds we’ve already sensed related to the signs and signals showing us the future, learning to listen to the deepest inner voice, and connecting the inner voice with the ability to “read the tea leaves” to see decisions which must be made.
Use your powers of precise focus to eliminate all which has nothing to do with the future focus you’re opened to since April 2020. We’re now moving from using power wisely in group situations into an era of using group power to contribute to a more “civilized” future.
We launched multiple cycles of a new era when Jupiter and Saturn conjuncted Pluto. We’ve been through the two “Great Compressions” in Capricorn in 2019-2020, and the third and fourth Great Compressions in Aquarius, in early 2021 and 2022. While 2019 and 2020 launched multiple Capricorn cycles, 2020 and 2021 have launched phenomenally powerful Aquarian cycles which began to blossom in 2021 and 2022.
We have learned to be precise in how we use energy in our individual, mental, and spiritual realms. We continue to learn how to navigate power-oriented situations this year. What’s would a great vision look like to you? This is the beginning of the sprouting of that vision.
While Pluto does occasionally take us into the underworld of existence, it’s there where we look at our core, and purify all that is not Eternal. Pluto may accompany us through terrifying experiences, but it also is Lord of the Underworld, and so it is through Pluto that we become masters of fear, and it ceases to trouble us ever again. Welcome the depth experiences Pluto brings, since it is the Way to demonstrating your Spiritual Will which overcomes all lesser things.
Copyright © 2023 Robert Wilkinson
Hello Robert,
I am wondering if you believe the activity around 15 Taurus is Tredecile Pluto at 0 Aquarius. I would be interested in your opinion and delineations.
Thanks,
Juliette
Posted by: Jrecamier | April 24, 2023 at 06:45 AM
Hi Juliette - Ordinarily not, because it refrains from the exact aspect. However, because Uranus is tredecile Pluto, it creates that effect for Mercury as well, even if it may take a while for it to manifest, due to the retrograde nature. However, in the near future we'll have Sun conjunct Uranus both tredecile Pluto, creating the 10 zone of serendipitous interactivity.
Posted by: Robert | April 24, 2023 at 07:07 AM